Log of the S.S. the Mrs. Unguentine

By Stanley Crawford

Book Overview

Log of the S.S. The Mrs. Unguentine is a masterpiece of modern domestic life, a comic novel of closeness and difficulty, miscommunication and stubborn resolve.

"Forty years ago I first linked up with Unguentine and we made love on twin-hulled catamarans, sails a-billow, bless the seas . . ."

So begins the courtship of a certain Unguentine to the woman we know only as "Mrs. Unguentine," the chronicler of their sad, fantastical tale. For forty years, they sail the seas together, alone on a giant land-covered barge of their own devising. They tend their gardens, raise a child, invent an artificial forest--all the while steering clear of civilization.

Rarely has a book so perfectly registered the secret solitude of marriage, how shared loneliness can result in a powerful bond.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1628975628
• ISBN13: 9781628975628
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
• Length: 86 Pages

Customer Reviews

Haunting, tender, close

This is an incredible book. It's strange, resonant, lush, and dangerous at times. Crawford's writing is superb. You will think about this book long after it is done.

Here is your classic 'cult' novella

'Log of the S.S. The Mrs Urguentine'... Do you need any more cues? It's frankly clear from the start that we are dealing with 'cult' stuff. Written in 1972, this short piece of fiction (little over 100 pages, plus a 5-pages afterword to help you put things in perspective) can be enjoyed in one gulp. It chronicles the adventures of Mr. Unguentine, his wife (who is to remain namelesse throughout the novel) and their uncanny marriage, living aboard a quasi-magical barge complete with a glass-dome, a forest, animals and a maze-like feel. This smells in many ways of magical realism and, while it feels much more post-modern than anything Marquez wrote, it still brings him to mind from time to time. Mr. Unguentine is a surreal character. He took to living on a barge, far from any form of civilization and took his wife with him (almost adbucted her, I'd say). Their relationship borders on the master-slave paradigm, although Mr. Uguentine is capable, from time to time, to show love in his own peculiar ways. In a way, this novel belongs to the 'what if?' literary genre. What if two adult people were to live for 40 years in absolute isolation, on a floating barge full of clever (impossible?) inventions? What sort of disturbed/alienated relationship would they develop? Throw in some magical realism and you get the basic, yet deeply original, recipe for this novel. For those who have adventurous tastes in all-things lit., this might prove to be a deeply satisfying, albeit quick, read.

people: you should read this

if you like to read books that are interesting and strange and funny and sad you will like to read this book. this book is much better than this review. the book is well written, this review is not. everything this review lacks, the novel contains. if you like boats you must read this book. this review is failing to do this book justice. it is very good, you will be happy, it will make you smile.

Gordon Lish's second favorite novel, after Motorman

This neglected masterpiece needs to be returned to print immediately. It is one of the greatest novels of the past half century. Prose this exquisite and sad and funny deserves a wide, ecstatic readership. This is a sea-tale about the deep loneliness between intimates and how that very loneliness can result in an even more powerful bond.